Fab Four: East Orange scout troop honors four Eagles

Wayne Holland III, left, is hugged by his father Wayne Holland Jr., after he became an Eagle Scout. Wayne Holland Jr. is also an Eagle Scout from Troop 8 and became one in 1985. Four members of Troop 8, Boy Scouts of America, became recipients of scout's highest honor, Eagle Scout. As members of one of the oldest African American troops in the nation, now celebrating its 98th year of service, the scouts completed community service projects that exemplified the core values of strong leadership and service to others and earned at least 21 merit badgesAris Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger

EAST ORANGE — The pews were packed with men and women in their Sunday best. The infants by their side were hushed and the children were reminded to stay quiet and pay attention.

Something special was happening.

"This is history," said Scoutmaster Glenn Brown, speaking before more than 100 people at Elmwood United Presbyterian Church in East Orange yesterday. "We have four young men taking the oath of Eagle Scout at one time."

This is no ordinary feat. These four 18-year old men accomplished what only 1 in 100 scouts achieve.

And they did it with Troop 8 — one of the oldest scout troops in the United States of America and one of the longest running African-American troops in New Jersey.

"In this part of the country, it is unusual for an African-American urban scout troop to have four Eagle Scouts at the same time," Brown said.

Tevin Barnes, Anthony Brownlee, Wayne Holland III and Frank Thompson Jr. earned Scouting’s highest honor yesterday and received plaudits from friends, family, dignitaries and even the President and First Lady of the United States, who signed four separate certificates honoring the young men for their achievements.

"A lot of people care a lot about us and we really appreciate that," Barnes said.

Troop 8 began in 1915 and, like the community it served, changed radically over the ensuing decades. In the early 60s, with the neighborhood demographics shifting, Troop 8 became primarily made up of African-Americans, at a time when many scout troops — particularly in the South — remained segregated.

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Troop 8 moved into the Elmwood Church in 1961 and has seen hundreds of young men come and go over the last half century.

But in all that time only 34 ever attained the rank of Eagle Scout.

About half of those men were in attendance yesterday to help celebrate, including Wayne Holland Jr., who saw his son take the Eagle oath 28 years after he took his.

They became the first father-son tandem, Brown said.

Brown, a teacher and guidance counselor, has led the troop since 1978. He said that when he was a scout in the 60s every church in East Orange had their own troop. Today, Troop 8 is the only one, and when he takes his boys to New York City, he is stopped by onlookers stunned to discover the Boy Scouts still exist.

"Society has changed and, with a shift in society, Scouting has changed," Brown said.

But one thing that has not changed is what these young men represent, and what they mean to their community.

"It means a lot to see a positive influence," Brownlee said. "It encourages more positive organizations to break out."